Fascinating and Fantastical Firefly Facts for Fellow Browncoats
Ahoy there, Browncoats! Has it ever occurred to you that, in the vast 'verse of TV shows, one series shines brighter and is forever sweeter than a strawberry? That's right, we're talking about the ever-shiny "Firefly"! Every year, like clockwork, we dive deep into the Black, binge-watching the misadventures of our beloved Serenity crew, and topping it off with the cinematic cherry of "Serenity".
It's a ritual, a pilgrimage, a return to the homely hum of the ship's engine. And, just when you think you've known every nook and cranny of our big damn heroes' journey, we've scoured the Cortex to bring you some tidbits of trivia that might still surprise you. Strap in, grab some Mudder's Milk, and let's embark on a little tour down memory lane of our favorite short-lived series!
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1
This book inspired the series
The Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Killer Angels from author Michael Shaara was Joss Whedon's inspiration for creating Firefly. It follows Union and Confederate soldiers during four days at the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War. Whedon modeled the series and world on the Reconstruction Era, but set in the future.
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2
Joss Wheadon wrote The Ballad of Serenity
The theme song to the television series was written by show creator Joss Whedon and performed by Sonny Rhodes. Now let's sing it together:
Take my love, take my land
Take me where I cannot stand
I don't care, I'm still free
You can't take the sky from meTake me out to the black
Tell 'em I ain't coming back
Burn the land, boil the sea
You can't take the sky from meThere's no place I can be
Since I found Serenity
You can't take the sky from me
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3
Firefly's crew originally only had 5 members
When Joss Whedon first developed Firefly, he wanted Serenity to only have five crew members. However, throughout development and casting, Whedon increased the cast from five to nine.
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4
NPH was almost cast as Dr Simon Tam
Before it went to Sean Maher, Neil Patrick Harris auditioned for the role of Dr. Simon Tam.
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5
Serenity the movie shouldn't exist.
Serenity is a film that, according to Writer/Director Joss Whedon, should not exist. The follow-up to his beloved television series "Firefly" was "…Ignored…hailed as one of the most cancelled shows of the year." The director explained "The people who made and watched the show loved it a little too much to lay down their arms. This movie should not exist—failed TV shows don't get made into a major motion picture unless the creator, cast and fans really believe. It is your movie, which means if it sucks, it's your fault."
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6
Rebecca Gayheart was cast to play Inara
Before Morena Baccarin was cast as Inara Serra, Rebecca Gayheart landed the role—but she was fired after one day of shooting because she lacked chemistry with the rest of the cast. Baccarin was cast two days later and started shooting that day.
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7
Fox aired Firefly's episodes out of order
Fox didn't feel Firefly's two-hour pilot episode was strong enough to air as its first episode. Instead, "The Train Job" was broadcast first because it featured more action and excitement. The network continued to cherry-pick episodes based on broad appeal rather than story consistency, and eventually aired the pilot as the show's final episode.
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8
A lucky mascot
Alan Tudyk is an absolutely fantastic voice actor and he is considered a lucky mascot by Walt Disney Studios, which is why he has voiced characters in every Walt Disney Animation Studios film since 2012.
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9
Spaaaaace
American Astronaut Steven Ray Swanson is a big fan of Firefly, so when he was sent to the International Space Station for his first mission (STS-117) in 2007, he brought DVD copies of Firefly and its feature film Serenity aboard with him. The DVDs are now a permanent part of the space station's library.
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10
what a loss
Joss Whedon designed Firefly with seven seasons in mind. Sadly, it was canceled after only 14 episodes. The bastards.
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11
Oops
The wall in this shot was built six inches too long because of a mismeasurement, and had to be redone. Whedon said the paint was still drying when Glau put her foot up.
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12
Serenity was built to scale
The interior of Serenity was built entirely to scale; rooms and sections were completely contiguous. The ship's interior was split into two stages, one for the upper deck and one for the lower. Whedon showed off the Firefly set in one long take to open the Serenity movie.
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13
Recycled Uniforms
The uniforms for Alliance officers and soldiers were the costumes from the 1997 science fiction film Starship Troopers. The same costumes were repurposed again for the Starship Troopers sequel.
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14
Han Solo Carbonite sightings
Nathan Fillion is a big Han Solo fan, so the Firefly prop department made a 12-inch replica of Han Solo encased in Carbonite for the Canadian-born actor. You can see the prop in the background in a number of scenes.
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15
This scene man... This scene...
Still hurts
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16
The ‘Verse was well-populated with visitors from other sci-fi series
During the play in "Heart of Gold," many famous space ships can be seen taking off from the Earth That Was. The Enterprise NCC-1701 from Star Trek, the Tantive IV rebel blockade runner from Star Wars and the Colonial Viper from Battlestar Galactica can all be seen carrying passengers away from the dying planet.
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17
“That’s not my name!”
Wash's full name is Hoban Washburne and is only given away in the novelization of the film Serenity.
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18
The good book
As for Shepard Derrial Book, his real name, as well the rest of his mysterious past, is revealed in Serenity: A Shepherd's Tale to be Henry Evans.
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19
Most of the names of minor characters are from real people
Jubal Early, the bounty hunter from "Objects in Space," is named for Nathan Fillion's ancestor who was a general in the Civil War. A lot of other character names come from sci-fi notables, such as Bester, the original mechanic of Serenity, who was named for author Alfred Bester and Brennert who was named for producer Alan Brennert.
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